Custom "Mountains beyond Mountains" Essay

The title of the book is a metaphor explaining how one can be having a challenge yet more challenges yet to come. As you solve one problem, another problem presents itself, and so you go on and try to solve that one too (Kidder, 2004). Paul faces mountain after mountain trying to help humanity. It is a true story of a person who has love for the world and tries out all he can to cure it. Paul farmer’s mountain was to help the poor by providing their medical needs.

Paul's Eccentric Life

He had a life that was very eccentric. From the story we get the impression that he travelled to many countries providing medical care though he mostly focused on the poor countries that were in most need. He graduated from Harvard Medical School with an M.D. and a Ph.D in Anthropology and did part of his work in places like Peru, Russia, and Haiti among others. In addition to that, he spent most of his days flying from one country to another checking in programs and looking for funds for Partners in Health (PIH).

Paul met Rudolph Virchow a German physician who came up with the cell theory and invented public health. Rudolph’s approach having focused on biology, anthropology plus politics inspired him much. He won a scholarship to join Duke University where he tried many science courses and finally settled on medical anthropology.

Farmer began his career in Haiti and always returns there because their level of poverty made his childhood life seem luxurious having lived in old school bus and house boat in Gulf with his family. Also after interviewing several Haiti migrants he was fascinated by their stories and learned much about the place and its people. He felt the need to help them improve their lives especially in terms of health. Thirdly, Farmer was a catholic Christian where emphasize was given on Christian first duty of helping the least fortunate.

Type of assignment

Writer level

Title of your paper

Pages

Spacing

Timeframes

Currency

Total price

When Farmer visited Cange, where the poorest and the sick especially those that were displaced because of dam construction lived he found his calling. He built a clinic that would treat everyone unconditionally and train public health providers (West 2005).

He loved the poor and would do anything to help them. For example, about Mayor’s beheading case as Captain Carroll tried to convince him that they should follow the due process; Farmer challenged him insisting that constitutional rules did not apply in a place like Haiti. He always went back to Haiti to provide help to those that needed it most.

Paul is an impatient person judging from the fact that when he had been expelled from Haiti, he could not wait to be allowed back. He even went to the extent of giving out a bribe to be allowed into the country. He is also sarcastic, in the plane he answered Kidder’s question on history of cutting off of victim’s heads in a way to show him that he was asking a stupid question.

The Zanmi Lasante’s Operation

Accoosing to Kidder (2004) he is an innovative person; he came up with the Zanmi Lasante’s operation that started with a one- room clinic which grew to a hospital in a few years. The hospital provided nursing training; it had operating rooms, a blood bank and was equipped with satellite communication services. It served almost 150,000 people, provided training and job opportunities, education and other social services. The services provided was almost the level provided in a U.S hospital.

Paul Farmer’s calling while in medical school was to cure infectious diseases and bring the lifesaving tools of modern medicine to those who need them most. In the story, Kidder takes us from Harvard to Haiti, Peru, Cuba, and Russia as Farmer is involved in many practices while dedicating himself to a philosophy “the only real nation is humanity,” Embodied in the Partners and in the Health organization that he formed. He was assisted the Gates Foundation, George Soros, the U.N.’s World Health Organization, among other organizations in his efforts to cure the World.

Establishing a TB program (WHO)

In Peru, Farmer conspiring with his fellows established a TB program (WHO) in 1991.He asked for advice from Michael Iseman who was working in a TB center called the National Jewish in Denver. The cost of offering the service seemed expensive and the drugs were believed to have long term side effects on humans’ .Farmer and his fellow workmates decided to test the drugs on ten patients with their permission. After all this done, Farmer was invited to give speech on TB in Chicago where he insisted that sick people should be treated if there was technology.

Doctor Farmer went to Cuba to raise money for purchasing antiretroviral drugs. While at the Aids conference, he met the head of United Nation’s project dealing with HIV/AIDS in Caribbean. They made a decision to send two youths to Cuba for training .During his speech he captured the attention of the one that discovered AIDS and the French ambassador to Cuba. In his book “Pathologies of power” he compares two ways of AIDS management. That is, the quarantine done by Americans in Haiti at Guantanamo and the one done by the Cuban government in Cuba. Cuba’ quarantine place was where Farmer spent his vacation with other doctors.

Farmer visited Moscow‘s central prison which to him was dark and gloomy. 80% of the prisoners had TB while others had AIDS and Paul insisted that they should be separated to avoid those with AIDS getting TB. He explains that if Russia’s justice system would be fine and fair those with TB could not sleep in hot beds. Farmer also discusses with Goldfarb on how much is required from the World Bank loan for the prison.

Project Regarding HIV Care and Treatment

Partners in Health was formed in 1987 by Farmer and his friends, Thomas j. White and Todd McCormack to offer support in Haiti "Zanmi Lasante" grew from a one room building to a complex that had a primary school, an operating room and an informatory. It also provided training on community health apart from providing antiretroviral drugs to patients with AIDS. In 1998, Zanmi Lasante launched a project to give free services, HIV care and treatment. The effort expanded in other parts of Haiti. Partners in Health had a mission both medical and moral. When one falls ill PIH used whatever means they had to ensure provision of good medical services. This is a clear indication of how farmer was philanthropic and care greatly about the health of other people.

Kidder (2004) presents to the reader a philanthropic man who set out to impact positively on the world. The story inspires in the readers feelings of admirations, humility and disquietude. It provides good literature that can inspire humanitarian activism be encouraging people to actively seek to help these who deserve urgent care, support and others. The world is full of inequality in every arena including the medical arena. Such inequalities lead to server suffering of the less fortunate in the society. However, efforts such as those exhibited by Farmer can help change the status quo.